Women read manuals!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Chief Engineer]

One of the most enjoyable parts of my job is familiarizing people with their new boat. It may be old....but it is new to them.
When I get a new customer, and find out they have recently purchased the boat, I sell them on the idea of spending the few $$$ and time with me to show them their boat.
We go stem to stern...make a map of the thru-hulls, go thru the electrical system, heads, engine, genset, etc. I also advise them that while underway, make it a routine of checking spaces for smells, noises, water...anything unusual....that way, if something happens, nothing is unfamiliar

I find it curious, that women are VERY attentive on this...taking notes etc.
Men seem to be quite b-o-r-e-d. I usually get the call from the wife.

I guess I am a little different than most yacht mechanics....I want people to enjoy their boat....I want them to feel comfortable with it...and when there is a problem, they can describe it too me. I have taken care of more than one problem via phone/fax/e-mail or VHF. (heads and A/C being top of the list)

There may be Admirals, but there is also the COB (Chief Of the Boat)

Fair Winds

[GordMay]

If I may audacious enough to misquote Alexander Pope*:
Failing to acquire a little knowledge, from someone with a lot of knowledge, is a very dangerous thing.

* "A little learning is a dangerous thing; drink deep, or taste not the Pierian spring: there shallow draughts intoxicate the brain, and drinking largely sobers us again." ~ by Alexander Pope in "An Essay on Criticism".

[knottybuoyz]

"As recreational boaters we seem to acquire just enough knowledge to get ourselves into real trouble, but never enough to get ourselves out!"

{Rick Laporte 2007}

[GordMay]

Five easy steps to thinking you understand a subject well enough to write on it:

1. Read an article unrelated to the subject

2. Read an inaccurate article that poorly describes the subject

3. Misunderstand the article(s), then paraphrase your misunderstandings in the most incomprehensible manner

4. Don't bother reading the established literature from authoritative sources, ignoring that literature in favor of what your cousin's brother's wife's former roommate said about the subject

5. Publish your own variations thereof, and repeat.

[tkwise]

I would love to find someone to show us through our boat. That is the problem we are having we cannot find anyone to do it. We have offered to pay people to do it for us and no one seems to want to help. We are having some issues with our boat and we need some help. Chief I wish you were here in West Virginia.

I would also love to be able to find a manual for our boat that would help a great deal. Does anyone know where to find a manual for a 1984 Cruisers Bar Harbor 267 footer?

[CSY Man]

I would love to find someone to show us through our boat. That is the problem we are having we cannot find anyone to do it.

The second best choice may be to roll up yer sleeves and start digging in.

Not hard to do and it would be very smart.
Take notes, take photos, whatever just dig in, check the sae-cocks, work them both ways a few times. Trace the hoses, make a diagram, learn the systems.

Been there done that with the previous boat: Neither me or the wife had ever been on a sailboat. The previous owner was 2000 miles away and the broker did not know much more than we did..The surveyor helped out explaining some basic stuff however.

Point is, if you love your life and like your boat, dig in and see what she is made from. It will not be a waste of time.

[Lancerbye]

Good advice from CSY Man. Remember life is a learning experience. Don't be afraid to try something. You just might enjoy it.

[Ex-Calif]

Not to be disagreeable but my 30 years as an aviation engineer and mechanic would point in a different direction. You can easily make things worse by "digging in" and you can make things a lot more expensive for yourself. I even have this handy price list for people:

Labor to fix something - $65 / hr
Labor to fix something you tried to fix - $165 / hr
Labor to teach you to fix something - A beer or two...

I think tkwise is very wise to get someone to help. To be honest I love crawling around someone elses vehicle helping them spend money...

tkwise - If there are any boating clubs in your area you may consider joining and networking. I am finding all kinds of helpful people at our club. In fact on of the members who used to own a maxi came by the other day and gave me a feathering prop that he had on his boat. Not that's friendly!

[Tom Spohn]

A good starting point is to have the USCG Auxilliary or the US Power Squadron to do a free safety check of your new boat. Follow them around and ask questions. It may not seem possible but there are dealers/brokers that install equipment that doesn't pass the test! Best to find out about it now.

[GordMay]

I too had a handy price list:
Labour @ $65/Hr.
If you watch $90/Hr
If you help $120/Hr
Just a joke ... but there's just a little truth to the proposition(s).

[Benny]

Gord - I like your first post on this thread - it has applicability to just about every unqualified opinion out there - even some of those expressed in other threads

[Alan Wheeler]

Gord I had that exact same list on my workshop wall. But I had the additional line of "tried to fix it yourself and failed..$160/hr"tkwise, I whole heartedly agree with CSY. You have to roll up the sleeves and take a look. You don't have to fix anything. You just need to know what is where it is. I would go one step further and any itme you find, you need to make a note on. Then find info on that item. Search the net and get a parts breakdown if avaliable. Gain as much info as you can. Find out who supports it with spares and service. Then if in the future it fails, you know who to send it too or where to get a part or what ever. Regular inpsections need doing. You need to know how to check the obviouse like oil and water etc. But what about hose clamps. Are they tight and in good repair. Hose clips come lose over time and need checking. That applies to every item. When you go through each and every item, you will gain an intimate knowledge of everything under that floor. A funny story, well it is now. I just took ownership of the our boat. I had lifted all the floors and took a good look around under there. I thought I covered most things. The next morning I decided we would fill with Fuel and water. I removed the red fuel cap(even said Fuel on it) for the tanks and filled to 3/4. I then removed the two blue water caps (yep had water on it) and filled the first tank and then was in the process of waiting for the second tank to fill. As I stood there, I suddenly thought, hmmmm....I don't remember seeing a second water tank. Wonder where that is?? I lifted the engine room hatch to take a look and to my horror, saw that I was filling the fuel tanks with water. 200ltrs of water in the fuel later, I realised the other blue filler cap was infact on the opposite side fuel tank. Even though the tanks were interlinked, they had seperate fillers and some dipsitck had put a blue water filler cap on the fuel inlet.

[starfish62]

We are in the final process of buying the 44 Gulfstar and I am excited and anxious! We have only been boatless for 5 months or so and adjusting to living on land, together, alll alll the time. Those of you who do the sometimes on sometimes off while the other is sailing get this. I love the boat but am so scared of the time and money we will need to do this right. My husband will do it right, no questions! Only a few years until we COULD live aboard and take off again with both of us full time....am I unusual to be scared too? I want to do it but our parents are getting so old I worry. Kids will be fine, but I won't be as easily accessable. Doing it anyway. What should we wait for? Old age?

[GordMay]

Further to my first post, Benny:

Wolfgang Pauli is quoted as saying:
”I don't mind your thinking slowly; I mind your publishing faster than you think.”

Victor Weisskopf commented that: “It was absolutely marvelous working for Wolfgang Pauli. You could ask him anything. There was no worry that he would think a particular question was stupid, since he thought all questions were stupid.”

[rtbates]

Interesting observation. Most likely it's the same issue as asking for directions. Woman will, men won't.

It also brings to mind the old saying about what will kill you. Something to the effect" It's NOT what you don't know that will kill; It's what you know that is WRONG".

Having over the years had the privilage to teach professionals various aspect of electronic navigation(back in the hey day of SATNAV/OMEGA) I've noticed that it's the most intelligent in the group that asks the questions. The less intelligent will nod and shake their head and ask no questions when I ask IF there are any questions. BUT when we get into the bridge and start applying what we just learned, quess who doesn't have a clue. You got it, the ones who had no questions.